Chapter 81
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 81
Chapter Title: Ruby's Resolve (2)
On the surface, it might seem like no defenses had been prepared at all.
But Lionheart Fortress was under strict protection from Cluna's barrier.
What does that mean?
Any ordinary monster would turn to ash the moment it touched the barrier.
Even if it didn't burn to ash, we could detect it immediately and intercept it.
But this thing hadn't triggered it.
The barrier hadn't reacted at all.
So it was one of two possibilities: it had fooled the barrier, or it wasn't a monster.
In my view, the former seemed far more likely.
Anyway, thanks to that soul-infused sawing, I'd managed to rescue Ruby somehow.
Desperately hiding the pain in my arm, I glared fiercely at Balrak soaring through the sky.
"My precious squad member. Would you mind not taking her without permission?"
Just glaring wasn't quite enough.
So I admonished him in the most captain-like tone I could muster.
But Balrak ignored me completely, simply flying off into the high sky.
Damn... I'd been utterly dismissed.
"Ruby! Are you all right?!"
"Uh, no injuries anywhere, right?!"
"I'm fine."
"This... looks like I'll have to explain everything."
Captain Yuren had approached my side before I knew it.
I nodded weakly at her words.
I'd wanted to keep it secret and handle it quietly, but things had gone too far for that.
However, before sharing the facts, I asked Cluna to check Ruby's condition.
I worried she might just be putting on a strong front, but fortunately, that wasn't the case.
"At least it's just minor injuries. Thank goodness."
"That's what I'm saying. Why can't you just believe me?"
"Better to be sure."
Hiding an injury and letting it fester later was worse than confirming and treating it properly.
Anyway, after verifying her condition, we were now gathered at the round table.
The Round Table of Equality.
A table prepared for fair, discrimination-free discussions among all races.
But right now, it felt more like an ordinary conference room.
And there, I spoke first.
"Straight to the point. Ruby, your father has become a monster."
"......"
"You're not all that surprised."
"No, I kind of had a feeling it might happen."
Watching Ruby's calm reaction left me flustered instead.
Just how much trashy behavior had he engaged in daily for his own daughter to expect this?
Silently offering condolences to Ruby, who had grown up under such a scumbag, I also revealed the request from the Dwarf Principality to everyone.
The request was Balrak's extermination.
"The Dwarf Principality has already classified Balrak as a monster. They've left his fate in our hands."
"Then there's no need to hesitate."
"No need to pretend to be strong..."
"I'm not pretending. I've been waiting for this moment."
Was it my imagination? For an instant, a vivid pink glow seemed to emanate from her reddish-brown hair.
But at least her words rang true. That was... fortunate? Maybe?
"One request."
"What is it?"
"I'll kill my father with my own hands."
"......"
There was no tremor in her voice. If anything, it was calmly resolute.
A daughter vowing to kill her own father.
I didn't know the full story, but one thing was clear.
No matter how I looked at it, this wasn't fortunate at all.
Hans brushed it off like it was no big deal.
But Balrak's intrusion had left far more problems than expected.
First, Cluna realized there was a flaw in the barrier from Balrak's breach.
But she couldn't comprehend it at the same time.
It should block all monsters and demons completely, yet it had slipped in without issue.
And it had even tried to kidnap Ruby, despite her barrier.
Even stranger, despite having it right in front of her, she hadn't sensed its presence at all.
It felt like staring at a fairy-tale ghost without physical form.
"There must be some trick to it."
Those bastards pulling dirty schemes wasn't anything new.
That Balrak guy surely used some deception.
But that wouldn't excuse it.
The barrier had been breached. That fact remained unchanged.
It inflicted a massive wound on Cluna's pride.
She'd already embarrassed herself plenty in front of the captain before.
She couldn't disappoint him further here.
So Cluna immediately set to improving her magic—not just the barrier guarding Lionheart Fortress, but every spell she possessed.
"So I can more surely catch and kill the captain's enemies..."
It was drifting into a subtly dangerous vibe, but it hadn't fully bloomed yet.
Now, let's shift our gaze elsewhere.
Captain Yuren was left alone in the inner courtyard, swinging her fists by herself.
It had been a shock to her as well.
In truth, dragons don't suffer major shocks easily.
They brush off most things as par for the course since little stimulates them.
But this was the exception.
A presence even she, a dragon, hadn't detected.
That bug-like thing had effortlessly violated Lionheart Fortress's skies and infiltrated.
Her reaction had been delayed because of it.
If the captain hadn't intervened, Ruby would have been kidnapped outright.
The thought made her own carelessness unforgivable.
"I can't tolerate it. Almost losing a comrade again...!!"
Whipping her own ignorance and weakness, Yuren kept swinging her fists.
It had been the same before.
She'd believed everything would be fine with her around.
But the result was the Royal Knights' total annihilation.
"Powerless. Powerlessness is a sin. Sin means wrongdoing."
At that moment, she stopped swinging her fists.
Her face, bathed in moonlight, flushed red.
Her sturdy legs clenched together.
Yuren covered her mouth with her palm.
"......If I did wrong, I should be punished."
I wonder if the captain would punish her?
Hm, a little scary.
That's enough of that; now let's check on the others.
Clara was staring blankly at the ceiling because the captain wasn't playing with her, leaving her bored.
In contrast, Helia sitting before her wore a smile.
But no one could grasp the meaning behind it.
That day—when Clara and Cluna had returned to the fortress—
Helia had instinctively realized it.
That they now craved the captain's love.
An uncontrollable killing intent surged in that instant, but Helia desperately suppressed it.
There was only one reason she held back her murderous urge.
Cluna and Hans thought their ongoing training had corrected her flaws.
But Helia wouldn't change so easily from mere that.
'Teacher would surely be sad.'
I love Teacher.
That's why I hate the idea of him being taken away.
I want to kill those thief bitches right now.
But if I do, Teacher will hate me. He definitely would.
Teacher is kind, after all. He'd pity those wretched things.
So, as Teacher's disciple, I must embrace them too.
That was Helia's conclusion.
That was why, even while swallowing her rage, Helia stayed glued to Clara's side.
At least pretending to be friendly would please Teacher.
At that moment, Clara spoke up.
"Hey, Helia?"
"Yeah?"
"Before, I mentioned that weird sexual desire thing."
"You did. Why? Changed your mind?"
"Thinking about it more, isn't love between elves and humans pretty common?"
"......"
Veins bulged on Helia's forehead, but Clara, oblivious, blushed and rambled on.
Well, hang in there, Helia.
And... that left just the two of them.
Bayard and Ruby were preparing for the decisive battle.
For Ruby, aside from the captain, Bayard was the most reliable person.
Bayard had gladly agreed to her request.
'Uh, what do I do? Sh-should I say something encouraging?'
Unfortunately, such situations were utterly foreign to Bayard.
With his timid personality, he'd hardly ever properly mingled with others.
Any interactions were mostly just sparring.
Talking to Ruby, who had resolved to kill her father? Without grating on her mood? Impossible.
But staying completely silent felt awkward too...
Contrary to what others imagined, Ruby's mind was truly ice-cold and clear.
Of course, she'd spotted its true nature right away.
The moment she saw it. She had no choice but to.
[My precious squad member. Would you mind not taking her without permission?]
She'd thought she'd explode in rage upon seeing it again.
But the captain's single line quelled her fury.
She had no intention of forgiving her father, of course.
But she had no plans to rampage in anger either.
"I must separate duty from personal matters."
Yes, setting aside her father's past trashy deeds.
Now, he had fallen and become a monster.
To a beast that had strayed from the human path, in the name of the Royal Knights.
She would deliver the blade of judgment.
That was her duty.